Bracteantha plant named ‘Florabella White’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Bracteantha bracteata  named ‘Florabella White’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant form; compact plant habit; small lanceolate leaves; white-colored involucral bracts and yellow-colored disc florets; and short peduncles that hold inflorescences above the foliage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofBracteantha plant, botanically known as Bracteantha bracteata andreferred to by the cultivar name ‘Florabella White’.

The new Bracteantha is a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the Inventor in Gapsted, Victoria, Australia. The objective of theprogram is to create and develop Bracteantha cultivars with a compactgrowth habit, small leaves, numerous inflorescences, bright involucralbract colors, and short peduncles.

The new Bracteantha originated from a cross by the Inventor of anunidentified yellow involucral bract-colored proprietary selection ofBracteantha bracteata as the female, or seed, parent with anunidentified white involucral bract-colored proprietary selection ofBracteantha bracteata as the male, or pollen, parent. The newBracteantha was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a plantwithin the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment inGapsted, Victoria, Australia in 1997. The selection of the newBracteantha was based on its growth habit, leaf size and peduncle lengthas plants of the new Bracteantha are more compact, have smaller leavesand shorter peduncles than plants of the parent selections.

Asexual reproduction of the new Bracteantha by terminal cuttings takenin a controlled environment in Gapsted, Victoria, Australia, has shownthat the unique features of this new Bracteantha are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

The new Bracteantha has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, lightintensity, photoperiod, and water and nutritional status without,however, any variance in genotype.

The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and aredetermined to be basic characteristics of ‘Florabella White’ anddistinguish the new Bracteantha as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant form.

2. Compact plant habit.

3. Small lanceolate leaves.

4. White-colored involucral bracts and yellow-colored disc florets.

5. Short peduncles that hold inflorescences above the foliage.

Plants of the new Bracteantha differ from its sibling cultivars,‘Florabella Gold’, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/740,532,and ‘Florabella Pink’, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/740,534primarily in involucral bract coloration.

The new Bracteantha can be compared to the Bracteantha bracteatacultivar ‘Nullabor Spectrum’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent applicationSer. No. 08/938,583 (abandoned). In side-by-side comparisons conductedby the Inventor in Gapsted, Victoria, Australia, plants of the newBracteantha differ in involucral bract color and are more compact, haveshorter and narrower leaves, and have slightly smaller inflorescencesthan plants of ‘Nullabor Spectrum’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Bracteantha. The photograph comprises a side perspective view ofa typical plant of ‘Florabella White’ in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations, measurements and values describe plantsgrown in Gapsted, Victoria, Australia, under outdoor conditions with daytemperatures ranging from 15 to 40° C., night temperatures ranging from8 to 25° C., and light levels ranging from 5,000 to 9,000 foot candles.Rooted liners of the new Bracteantha were planted in 15-cm containersand grown for about 8 to 10 weeks. Color references are made to TheRoyal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

Classification:

Botanical.—Bracteantha bracteata cultivar ‘Florabellla White’.

Parentage:

Male or pollen parent.—Unidentified white involucral bract-coloredselection of Bracteantha bracteata, not patented.

Female or seed parent.—Unidentified yellow involucral bract-coloredselection of Bracteantha bracteata, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—By cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 10 to 20 days at temperatures of20 to 25° C. Winter: About 15 to 35 days at temperatures of 20° C.

Root description.—Fine to fibrous, freely branching.

Plant description:

General appearance.—Upright, outwardly spreading and rounded herbaceousplant with lanceolate foliage and inflorescences held above the foliageon short peduncles. Appropriate for 15 pots to 25-cm hanging basketcontainers.

Crop time.—Moderately fast growth rate; to produce a finished 15-cmcontainerized plant from rooted cuttings, about 8 to 10 weeks arerequired depending on temperature and light level.

Plant height.—About 30 to 45 cm from soil level to top ofinflorescences.

Plant width.—About 35 to 45 cm.

Branching.—Moderate, removal of terminal apex enhances branching;typically about 5 to 12 lateral branches per plant.

Lateral branch description.—Length: About 9 to 26 cm. Width: About 4 to6 mm. Internode length: About 0.8 to 2.5 cm. Texture: Slightlypubescent; sometimes with very faint ridges. Color: 143C.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Quantity: About 21to more than 60 per lateral branch. Shape: Lanceolate. Margin: Entire;slightly recurved. Apex: Acute. Base: Decurrent, clasping. Length: About2.9 to 11.8 cm. Width: About 0.4 to 1.8 cm. Texture: Thin; slightlyrough; moderately pubescent on both surfaces. Color: Young leaves, uppersurface: 147A. Young leaves, lower surface: 147B. Fully mature leaves,upper surface: 146A; venation, 144D. Fully mature leaves, lower surface:146B; venation, 145B.

Flowering description:

Inflorescence form.—Daisy-type composite inflorescence form.Inflorescences arranged acropetally on a capitulum.

Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last on the plant for 4 to 6weeks and 2 to 3 weeks as a fresh cut flower, and more than 6 weeks as adried cut flower. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Natural flowering season is spring to fall.Plants flower continuously during this period. Inflorescences close whenwet and open when dry.

Quantity of inflorescences.—About 1 to 3 inflorescences and about 2 to 4flower buds per lateral branch.

Inflorescence aspect.—Flat to slightly cupped.

Inflorescence diameter.—About 4.2 to 5.1 cm.

Inflorescence depth (height).—About 1.6 to 2.2 cm.

Disc diameter.—About 1.2 to 2.2 cm.

Fragrance.—Slight honey.

Involucral bracts.—Appearance: Satiny. Texture: Papery. Aspect: Flat.Shape: Triangular. Margin: Entire. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Length:About 0.9 to 1.8 cm. Width: About 2 to 6 mm. Color: When opening, uppersurface: 156D to 155C. When opening, lower surface: 155A to 159C.Mature, upper surface: 155A to 155C; with development, to 158D. Mature,lower surface: 155A to 162D.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular with five lobes. Diameter: About 1 mm.Width: About 1 mm. Color: Immature: 145C. Mature: 25B.

Peduncle.—Length: About 12.5 to 18.2 cm. Aspect: Erect to about 25° fromvertical. Strength: Moderately strong, brittle when young,inflorescences held erect above foliage. Color: 143C to 146D. Texture:Slightly rough and pubescent.

Flower bud.—Shape: Broadly ovoid. Length: About 1.2 to 1.6 cm. Diameter:About 1.2 to 1.7 cm. Color: 161A to 161D.

Androecium.—Only present on disc florets. Stamen number: One per discfloret. Anther shape: Linear. Anther color: 24B. Amount of pollen:Moderate. Pollen color: 23A.

Gynoecium.—Present on disc florets. Pistil number: One per disc floret.Style length: About 3 mm. Style color: 23C. Stigma shape: Bilobate.Stigma color: 23C.

Seed.—Seed production has been observed.

Disease resistance: Susceptible to White Rust, causal agent Albugocandida.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Bracteantha plant named‘Florabella White’, as illustrated and described.